College costs up 7 percent, inadequate funds cite•
By VALERIE GLENZ
Collegian Staff Writer
The cost of attending four-year public col
leges and universities in the United States
has jumped 7 percent since last year, accord
ing to a survey released Monday.
The survey, issued by the American Asso
ciation of State Colleges and Universities and
the National Association of State Universities
and Land Grant Colleges, says that public
colleges and universities now charge an aver
age of $4,587 per year for tuition and room
and board.
Court rules on
discharges as nurses' strike continues
By TABASSUM ZAKARIA
Associated Press Writer
HARRISBURG Common
wealth Court ordered union officials
to provide two more nurses at a
strikebound hospital yesterday but
also ordered state officials to dis
charge more patients there as a
nurses' walkout continued for the
second day.
Nurses, angry about wages and
the lack of a contract since Septem
ber, continued picketing at 140
state-run mental and general hospi
tals, clinics, prisons and university
health centers in the first strike
against state health institutions in
11 years.
"I think this injunction sends a
clear message that our strike is
having far more impact than the
commonwealth is prepared to han
dle," said David Ranck, executive
administrator for the Pennsylvania
Nurses Association.
Members of the Pennsylvania Nurses Association continued to picket yesterday outside the State Correctional
institution at Rockview. Nurses in the state had been working without a contract since September while negotiators
worked on a settlement. The walkout, which began Wednesday morning, affects approximately 3,800 nurses and
health care employees across the state.
the
daily
The cost of attending Penn State, a mem
ber of both the AASCU and the NASULGC,
has increased by 6.3 percent for 1985-86, but
this is not as high as last year's increase, a
representative from the University's Office
of Budget and Resource Analysis said.
University tuition has increased for the
past 18 years, she added, with 1984-85 tuition
and room and board charges increasing 10.8
percent.
'Mary Margaret Walker, director of public
information for AASCU, said,"ln-state resi
dents paid a total of $5,182 in 1984-85, and that
figure went up to $5,510 for 1985-86. Non
injuction request, orders
"There's no way anyone can say
it's 'business as usual,' " he said in
a prepared statement.
About 70 percent of the nurses
scheduled to work yesterday, or
about 1,200 workers, remained off
the job, said Murray Dickman,
state secretary of administration.
In an injunction request filed
Wednesday, the state sought six
additional nurses at Coaldale Gen
eral Hospital in Schuylkill County,
saying current staffing failed to
guarantee adequate care for pa
tients.
Commonwealth Court Judge
James Colins ordered the Pennsyl
vania Nurses Association to provide
one nurse on each of the morning
and evening shifts, beginning yes
terday afternoon.
The judge also told the common
wealth to "make all immediate
efforts to substantially reduce the
present patient population" at the
one • ian
residents paid $7,766 in 1984:.85, and they paid
$8,294 in 1985-86." I
The University's budget office representa
tive verified these figures.
University President Bryce Jordan, in a
statement issued after the University Board
of Trustees meeting in July, explained that
the University was forced to increase costs
because only one-third of the funds requested
from the state legislature were awarded.
"We deeply regret the necessity to increase
tuition," Jordan said. "However, even with
this increase, Penn State's tuition will remain
the lowest of Pennsylvania's three public
hospital and to report the efforts to
the court on Monday.
Public Welfare Secretary Walter
Cohen ordered Coaldale to immedi
ately transfer 28 acute-care pa
tients, leaving 40 patients at the
hospital, state officials said.
Coaldale was among five of seven
state-run general hospitals that cur
tailed admissions or transferred
patients to community and private
hospitals to prepare for the strike.
Cohen said he ordered the other
four hospitals to "be prepared to
transfer their acute-care patients,
should it become necessary." The
two hospitals still accepting pa
tients were not affected by the
strike because an adequate number
of nurses reported to work, the
department said.
Ranck accused the common
wealth of neglecting patients' wel
fare by failing to prepare
adequately for the strike.
The state, however, said the
court's action indicated a lack of
caring by the nurses association.
"It really does disturb me this
union opposed efforts to bring six
people out of 3,500 back to work,"
Dickman said.
`lt really does
disturb me this
union opposed
efforts to bring six
people out of 3,500
back to work.'
—Murray Dickman
A court order ended the last
strike by the nurses association
against the state, a 24-hour walkout
in 1975.
Supervisors, doctors, nurses who
crossed the picket lines and health
care professionals are caring for
patients at the strikebound facili
ties.
A mediator scheduled a meeting
between both sides on Tuesday,
Ranck said.
Spirits were high among pickets
outside Harrisburg State Hospital
yesterday morning.
"I think it's (strike) going won
derfully," said Lois Rothermel, a
psychiatric nurse and member of
the negotiating team.
Connie Jones, a hospital aide and
member of the American Feder
ation of State, County and Munici
pal Employees, ' said she was
picketing in support of the nurses.
She placed much of the blame on
Gov. Dick Thornburgh, saying he
was refusing to grant adequate
raises to build the state budget
surplus for a tax cut.
Union negotiator Richard Stober
said last week the union would
accept the 3 percent annual pay
raises awarded other state employ
ees last year as long as nurses are
moved higher on the state's pay
scale.
research universities the University of
Pittsburgh, Temple University and Penn
State."
Hawaii, Nevada and Washington, D.C.,
have not increased the costs of their schools,
but tuition and fees at Pennsylvania's public
colleges and universities statewide have in
creased an average of almost 6 percent,
Walker said.
"In 1984-85, costs for Pennsylvania resi
dents increased an average of 5.8 percent,"
she said. "Non-resident costs increased an
average of 6.1 percent."
The increased national average is not high
Athletic
varsity sports
By MARK ASHENFELTER
Collegian Sports Writer
While proposed changes in the
grants-in-aid procedure affecting 10
University varsity sports have yet to
be approved, some changes are al
ready being implemented by the ath
letic department, the University's
senior vice president for financial
operations said Wednesday.
Steve Garban said five programs
were given approval to award schol
arships in the 1986-87 fiscal year
which begins in July while three
other programs were told not to do
any recruiting in which a scholarship
would be offered.
This follows a recommendation
made by the University's Intercolle
giate Athletic Strategic Planning
Committee in November. The recom
mendation stated that grants ath
letic scholarships should be frozen
for the men's volleyball and the
men's and women's lacrosse squads.
It also endorsed that the softball,
men's and women's tennis and men's
and women's golf programs should
receive scholarships for the first time
since August 1981.
"Three of the 28 sports (teams)
were told they should not be out
recruiting," Garban said. "They
should just sit and freeze for right
now . . .
"I'm not sure of the particulars, but
a couple of (the other five) were told
they ought to look at recruiting . . .
they were put on alert that they
should start looking (at athletes to
recruit)."
The recommendation also stated
that the men's and women's fencing
programs should not receive grants,
although those programs have been
without scholarships since 1981.
Athletic Director James I. Tarman
accepted the recommendation of the
seven-member commission and sent
it to Garban, who needs to approve it
before it is sent to University Presi
dent Bryce Jordan for final approval.
Assistant Athletic Director Rich
Lucas said that it was his understand
ing that the changes were imple
mented upon Tarman's approval of
the recommendations.
"I think (a letter Tarman sent to
the coaches affected by the cuts)
indicated that he accepted the pre
liminary recommendations of that
committee and was putting them into
effect at that moment," Lucas said.
"Primarily so those sports that were
increased in aid could recruit."
Still, nothing has been approved by
Garban and the recommendation is
back on Tarman's desk, although
Garban emphasized he has no real
problems with it. He said the delay in
approving the plan will give' the
coaches adversely affected by it a
chance to suggest alternatives to, the
grant cuts.
"We kind of discussed the matter
and we agreed that we should imple
ment the new priorities or at least
give (the coaches) notice that we are
thinking about it," Garban said.
"And then (Tarman) talked to the
coaches and then he's going to go
back to the strategic planning com-
Correction
Due to a reporting error, it was incorrectly reported in yesterday's
Collegian that Leeann Simons, co-organizer of a pro-choice celebration
banquet, said pro-choice activists have a narrow-minded, "hostage-like"
view of the abortion issue. Simons said anti-choice activists hold that view.
weather
This afternoon we'll see sun, sun, sun, and more sunshine. (Yes, it's
almost too good to be true for State College). High of 35. Tonight,
Increasing clouds with a low of 18. The outlook for the weekend: mostly
cloudy on Saturday with a high of 32. There is the possibility of a major
storm through the area on Sunday Heidi Sonen.
Friday, Jan. 24, 1986
Vol. 86, No. 118 24 pages University Park, Pa. 16802
Published by students of The , Pennsylvania State University
©1986 Collegian Inc.
compared to increases in past years, Walker
said.
"This year's increase is very similar to last
year's," she explained.
Walker said that when asked about reasons
for this year's increase, most officials from
public universities and colleges cited inade
quate state funds.
"Most said the increases were mandated
by state legislatures," she said.
The largest increase in tuition and fees is in
Texas, where costs have jumped 57 percent
for in-state residents and 162 per Cent for out
of-state residents.
dept.
mittee with whatever information he
had from the coaches.
"Within the next month or so, we
ought to be talking about whether we
are going to implement (the recom
mendations) or just what we want to
do."
Although Garban hopes to act on
the recommendations within a
month, committee member Ellen
Perry said she is not sure of a set
timetable. Perry, Tarman's assis
tant, said the only thing she knows for
sure is that the committee will be
reconvened, but she was not sure
what topics would be discussed.
Although Perry is unsure of the
committee's future action, several
coaches are certain as to the effects
of the recommendation. Volleyball
Coach Tom Tait said his program has
already been hit hard by the propo
sals, while Women's Tennis Coach
Jan Bortner said the changes will
greatly strengthen his team.
"As it stands now I can't recruit
because I have no money to recruit
with," Tait said. ". . Already, our
top recruit from Pennsylvania has
not applied to Penn State even though
this is where he wanted to go. He
knows what is going on here and he's
afraid that he'd be making a mistake
by coming here."
For Bortner, the opposite is true.
For a program that had experienced
problems recruiting top high school
performers, the change has been
remarkable.
• "I've had a lot of good recruits
visit, nationally-ranked players, All-
America players and so-forth,"
Bortner said. "Players that we
haven't been able to even touch or
come close to touching in the past
we've been able to make good contact
with this year because of the boost in
scholarship money."
Although Bortner knows that the
proposals could still be changed, he is
confident his program will now have
scholarships available to it.
"The only thing I can comment on
is the fact that I've been out recruit
ing and been given every indication
that the proposals (will be ap
proved)," he said. "I'm going under
the assumption that we will be having
that money."
Although Tait is now without schol
arship money, he said he will contin
ue to gather information that will
show why he believes his nationally
ranked program should not be cut.
"I'm going to continue to gather
updated information, which I have
been doing for some time now, and
get that to the committee and various
administrators," Tait said. "I'm also
going to continue to try to gather as
much support from as many different
sources as I can to help us convince
the athletic department and central
administration that they've made a
bad mistake."
Perry said that when the commit
tee reconvenes it will be more than
willing to listen to Tait's information.
"I think that people are constantly
updating information . . . of course
that's a judgment on anybody's part
whether anybody has up-to-date
information," Perry said.
OKs 5
grants